Most electrical components implemented in integrated circuits (ICs), and in particular in analog ICs, change their electrical characteristic in response to temperature changes. That is, changes in the temperature increase the uncertainties at electrical interfaces performance that result from the current and voltage relationship that varies with respect to the temperature.
In the related art the principles of the relationship between temperature and current/voltage are well understood. However, techniques for compensating for temperature variations are not well implemented in electrical components other than transistors or diodes junctions. Components requiring better temperature compensation solutions include, for example, laser diodes, oscillators, limited amplifiers, operation amplifiers, buffers, and the likes. These components are generally integrated in ICs that are designed to operate over a wide range of temperatures, extending from −40° C. to 120° C. Temperature compensation becomes even more important in circuits requiring a high level of integration or low cost and highly reproducible implementation.
Compensating for temperature allows the stable operation of electronic components over variations in temperature and is typically achieved by means of temperature compensation circuits. One of the problems associated with such circuits is that temperature compensation circuits themselves are subject to temperature related performance changes. Furthermore, many conventional temperature compensation circuits depend on the adjustment of on-chip resistors to achieve the proper variation in the temperature coefficient of a current. These circuits are often used for circuit biasing rather than as reference current that can stabilize the operation of electric components such as those mentioned above.
It would be therefore advantageous to provide a solution that overcomes the limitations of conventional temperature compensation circuits.